A business icon, the founder of Coffee Cafe Day (CCD) was a powerhouse of energy and success. A billionaire many times over Siddhartha was an entrepreneur, a risk-taker and a beacon to other entrepreneurs.
Yet he committed suicide.
The statistics of suicide in India are horrendous, every hour a student in India commits suicide. Every 3 seconds there is an attempted suicide in India. Hopefully, the public anguish on the suicide by VG Siddhartha, the founder of CCD chain is not short-lived, and something positive comes from his untimely death. We can only pray that Siddhartha’s unfortunate death creates awareness about suicide and the stigma surrounding mental health is removed.
The question that comes to mind repeatedly is why does someone who is extremely successful professionally and personally end their life?
A study by the University of California exhibited that 50% of entrepreneurs will suffer from depression or some other form of mental health issues.
Some of the key reasons for mental health issues in entrepreneurs is
Competition: They constantly compare themselves to their competitors
Working 24×7: Working all the time deprives them of the simple pleasures of life, like enjoying a rainbow, or sitting down to have a meal with their family
Detachment: They feel detached from their real self, or who they were before they became successful
Lack of Resilience: When they grow up with wealth, they lack the resilience to weather the downturns in the cycle of life
Vulnerability: They are vulnerable to the criticism and peer pressure of the industry
Attaining a goal: High successful people have a sense of depression upon achieving a goal. Startup founders on occasion feel bouts of depression upon raising funding, exiting their company etc.
The death of Sidhartha, (founder of the CCD chain and many other businesses) by suicide will hopefully focus the spotlight on celebrities and depression.
CEO, entrepreneurs, celebrities are generally more prone to depression and bipolar disorder due to the neverending public and media scrutiny. They are more susceptible to mental disorders such as panic attacks, insomnia, substance abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts as they are under more pressure than normal people. In the unfortunate death of VG Sidhartha, the pressure of running such a large empire and the financial stresses of this conglomerate took their toll on this man.
To anyone who is contemplating suicide, don’t do it! Life is like a pendulum, there will be good phases and bad phases, we need to live through the bad to appreciate the good.
RIP VG Sidhartha, you have left a positive impact on millions of lives. Our interaction was brief, but I was personally touched by your generosity and helpfulness.
To learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli, click here
